The Press., 1887-10-20
PHIL ARMOUR'S PLANS.
HE TELLS A PARSON HOW TO RUN
 A SUNDAY SCHOOL MISSION.

Tho Pork Ezi&g's Idea Fills the Benches
 and the Service is a Most Interesting Ono-Tho Prayers are Made shOrt-The
 Mission NOn-Sectarian.
 When the Armour mission up on Thirty-third street, was started with $500- 900 endowment, it was hard to decide just how to manage the religious end of it. Joseph Armour had directed in the will by which he gave it $100, 900 that it should be non-sectarian. Phil Armour, who added $400, 900 to the original fund.- was altogether opposed to the mission being anything but a broad, hImInitaIian charity, with plenty of religion, of course, but of that generic sort only which would be ts acceptable to the ROnlanist us tO the Methodist, and as agreeable to the Epis- coralian as to the Baptist. The reverend gentleman who was finally selected to tuka charge of the religious welfare of thc in- SGitutiOn was given, in general tCriIS, an idea of this purpose Ct the founders. They did not want &lCt li8u;SIl of any kind or degree. Good ,uctrine from the Bible, without any theology, was what he was asked to give He began with en- ergy, and ran along for some time on his own idea of what the little children and the parents who filled the benches Hecdsd. One day he received Q summons to come down town to the office. lie get there promptly and was beckoned over to the big packers desk. ArmoEr wheeled around in his chair a couple of times as if to select his vocabulary, locked the man of God over carefully and tEcn. launched forth his own ideas of theology.
 "You're giving these youngsters too much grape and canister" he began, slowly. 'Hell fire and birthstone are all right for the old sinners, but the mission isn't for them. Now,' he added, with the same emphasis he'd use to oue Of his office clerks, 'I want you to change around and try another plan. If you don't, you'll drive all those children away When you begin your service in the morning you can read chapter from tie Bible. Then have little prayer something short; not longer than that'-mca8uring off about a foot with his forclingers. ''Then want you to sing-sing q good many times,' he repeated, cmphatcally. ''Then tell story" he continur,!, some thing with point toft and d moral, but short Then you can have another little prayer, but, mind you, not longer than that'-hOlding up his hands about six inches apart this time.
 IT FILLED THE BENCHES.
 ''N1r. Armour" remarked the preacher, rather jocosely, 'I suppose you can run q packing house, but you don't know much about religion"
 "Wen,' said the builder of the mission, very sharply, twill you try it."
 "Oh, yes," was the answer.
 Phil ArmOur's theological scheme las been in vogue ever since that interview and has been a great success. H. ltucS up every Sunday to the morning c}itGren's service and watches the thing grow.
 '"Don't you mind the old fellows or the played out sinners, :" he constantly ;;diurcs the minister ill charge. If you see an old fellow in the gutter, even, don't stop, but keep your eye rn the little fellow ahead. Look out for Iin."
 Armour's theology has filled up the benches, and they hold 1,S00 people. The preacher, ever since the sharp interview at the La Salle street office, has been working on the new tack. The service is 8 most interesting one. According to orders, the grown folks are entirely ig- nored. The whole service is for the little ones. The prayers are short-not longer than Armour indicated with his two fore fingers. There is singing pretty nearly all the time. The little fellows are drilled to recite verses or to sing solos. And yet the benches are almost filled with the pa- rents and grown brothers and sisters of the little ones. There are twice as many at this children's service in the morning as in the evening, when a sermon is preached
 "You can do what you like at night, ]" Armour told the preacher in an encourage ing way after this interview ''YOu can preach a sermon if you like, for I'll never he there except in the morning. But at that children's service I want it my way until l see it won't work"
 But it did work The dominic at the mission now admits that, after all, Phil Armour knew better what would fill the benches than a trained theoIogian. Best of all, and this pleases Armour most, all creeds gather at the mission to bring or see the children, hundreds of Catholics among the others. rs.--NeW York Sdn.